Expect The Unexpected
by Em Pataki
Summary: Arnold gets a call from the police station.
1. Chapter 1

**Very Short Chapter, but hopefully it will lead to an exciting story. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Chapter 1: It's For You

It was nearing the end of fourth grade. Arnold was playing football at the park with Gerald and Sid one sunny afternoon. The boys were enjoying their afternoon, excited to know spring break had at last arrived.

"Man, I'm so glad our break's here!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Me too. What do you guys want to do?" Arnold asked, as he kneeled down to hold the football for his friend to kick.

"We could…"

"I DID IT! I DID IT!" Sid exclaimed after kicking the ball half way across the park.

Arnold smiled at his hyper friend as he stood from the ground and said "Great job Sid!"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his overly anxious friend, with his hand on his hip and said "Now if we could just teach you to dribble."

Before the boys even considered going to retrieve the ball, they heard a dissatisfying noise from the other end of the park.

"OWWW!"

The three boys turned their heads in time to see an angry teenager marching their way. While Sid was trembling with fear, Arnold slowly approached the injured teen and said "Sorry about that. We were just…"

"Not watching what you were doing!" the vexed boy shouted. Sid looked at the muscular boy with dark hair and angry blue eyes. His jaw stuck out with a lower tooth that couldn't be hidden.

"We're sorry mister! It...it won't happen again! I swear!" Sid trembled with fear, as he hid behind Arnold.

The threatening teen then shoved the football into Arnold's chest and snapped "It better not! Next time you won't be so lucky!"

The boys then watched the stranger march away, as Gerald shook his head and said "Mm, mm, mmm. Maybe you should stick to baseball Sid."

 _Eugene's House_

The clumsy boy was sitting in the living room, watching The Abdicator, when he heard his father walk in.

"Hey son…"

"Oh hey dad!"

"Why don't you run down to the store and get us some strained beets to go with dinner tonight?"

"Sounds great!"

After leaving the house, Eugene began happily walking down the sidewalk towards The Corner Store. That is, until he saw a group of kids riding their bikes down the street. The redhead's smile turned to a frown as the memory of his red bike that was wrecked came back to him. If only he had the money to buy a new one.

 _Sheena's House_

The healthy girl was in the kitchen doing the dishes when she was tapped on the shoulder. Sheena turned to she her mother handing her her weekly allowance.

"Oh thank you mother!" the polite girl smiled, after setting down the dishes.

"You're welcome sweetie."

Sheena held the money in her hand, thinking to herself…

 _Soon I'll have enough saved up to buy the newest selection of Healthy Cook Books._

 _Harold's House_

After his walk home from school, Harold was approaching his front stoop when he heard something from behind…

"Meow!"

The husky boy turned to see a girl carrying a chocolate colored kitten with a white stomach. Harold pouted at the sight and thought back to the week he spent with what he hoped would remain his pet; Cupcake. If only he had the money to buy a pet he really could call his own.

 _Rhonda's House_

"What do you mean you're cutting me off?!"

Rhonda stood wide eyed before her parents, appalled at the news that was being broken to her.

"Rhonda I'm sorry, but we can't risk losing our home again when our stocks are as unsteady as they are." Brooke explained.

"This is unbelievable! I'm forced to live like a po-poo-poor person, while you two are free to spend your money however you please?!"

"Oh calm down Pumpkin. It's just temporary." Buckley insisted, as he saw his outraged daughter storm off towards her bedroom.

 _Stinky's House_

The country boy walked inside and dropped his bag by the front door. His father who was sitting in the dining room with a grilled cheese sandwich saw the mopey look on his face and asked "What seems to be the problem son?"

"I was fixing to beat my high score on Whack A Mole when I ran out of quarters. I don't reckon I'll be going back anytime soon. On account of I'm completely broke. This really bites."

The elderly held his sandwich in his hand as he continued to stare at his depressed son and replied "Son, you're a dang fool."

 _Walk_

Arnold, Gerald and Sid were heading towards the boarding house. While Arnold and Gerald had tossed the incident in the park over their shoulder, Sid was nervously following beside them, unable to forget about it.

"So what do you think that guy's planning to do to us? Oh gosh! What if he's friends with Wolfgang! Or worse, has an entire gang of tough guys who he could use to beat us up if he wanted! AHHH!"

"Calm down Sid, you're overreacting." Arnold said, patting his friend on the back.

"And that surprises you?" Gerald glared, not finding it to be unusual for their friend to react that way.

As they approached the boarding house, Arnold turned to his nervous friend and said "Let's just go inside and relax. There might still be some cookies in the kitchen we can have."

"Sounds good to me man!" Gerald smiled, as he stood out of the way of the pets swarming out the front door.

 _The Boarding House_

The boys entered the kitchen to see Phil reading at the table. Gerald and Sid took a seat with him, while Arnold went to find some cookies in the cabinet.

"Hey there shortman! How'd your day go?" Phil asked.

"It was…"

"It was horrible! There's this huge guy who wants to kill us!" Sid exclaimed.

Arnold pulled the cookies out of the cabinet as he saw Gerald not caring to soften Sid's description of the event. Their classmate was always going to be a paranoid freak. What was the point in trying?

Phil rubbed his chin at the response and said "Hmm...kill ya eh? You try reasoning with him?"

Arnold sighed as he took a seat at the table with their snack and replied "He is not going to kill us. Everything's fine grandpa."

"Well you're quite a risk taker." Phil said just as the phone began to ring.

The boys sat at the table, sharing the cookies as they listened to Phil's end of the conversation…

"Hello? Yes...If this is about the murder, my grandson has a right to a fair trial. Oh well that's different then hehe. It's for you shortman."

Arnold stood to answer the phone, while Sid sat shaking in his seat. Gerald continued to eat the cookies, curious to know what the call was about.

Arnold picked the phone up from Phil's hand and said "Hello?"

"Good afternoon. This is Hillwood Police Department. Am I speaking with Arnold Shortman?"

"Yes?" Arnold replied hesitantly.

"Ninety days ago, you found a bag with $3,937. No one has claimed it within that time. Therefore, the money is yours to keep."


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm very anxious to post Chapter 3, which I also wrote today. I want the story to last, and people to review though, so I'm going to force myself to be patient (not an easy thing for me to do) and post it tomorrow. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Chapter 2: You Keep It

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold woke up the next morning, ready to head down to the police station with his friends. Despite the drama he had been through because of it, it was nice hearing the money was his to keep.

The blonde boy hurried downstairs to see his grandma setting pancakes on the table for everyone.

Phil was ready to dig into his plate when he saw his grandson walking into the room. "Hey there shortman! Today's going to be quite a Pay Day!" Phil winked.

"Yeah. We still haven't decided what to do with the money though."

"Well, give it to me then." Phil insisted, reaching his hand out, as if Arnold was already holding the money.

The blonde boy stared at his now folded arms on the table and explained "After we found it in the garbage…"

"The garbage? You sure it was money you found?" Phil asked with a perplexed look.

"Yeah. Anyway, we wondered why anyone would throw away so much money? Then Sid said something that sounded crazy."

"Hmm...doesn't surprise me." Phil said, as he began cutting up his pancakes.

"He said maybe they just couldn't handle the idea of having so much money. Gerald and I knew he was just looking for an excuse to keep it. Now that we have it though, it's not easy deciding what to do with it."

Phil looked at the troubled expression his grandson was wearing. He knew how much Arnold loved doing the right thing. That was why his friends trusted him to take the money home to begin with, and why Arnold found it so bewildering that no one was willing to believe his story (no matter how crazy it sounded).

"Well shortman, if it really bugs you that much, why don't you share it with all your friends? Heck it's spring break! That crazy class of yours is bound to come up with even crazier ways to spend it! It'll be gone by the time school starts. Then you'll never have to worry about it again...as long as you keep your head out of the trash."

 _Hillwood Police Department_

"You did it again you weasel!" Vic snapped, as he sat in the jail cell, sitting across from his partner, Morrie.

"What are you talking about?" Morrie shrugged his shoulders as he looked at his vexed partner.

"You blew _another_ scheme of ours!"

The skinny brunette with the pointy nose and unibrow glared at his friend to ask "How is it my fault?"

The muscular man with dark hair stood from his seat to remind his partner of all the schemes they attempted and failed at…

"When we were downtown dressed as fruits, you threw the money to the wrong person! When we were making counterfeit pennies, you carved the stupidest faces on them! When we won everything from Oscar in poker, you gave it back just so he could give to that stupid kid he was sharing a room with! Now here we are in jail, all because you lost _this_ bag of money!"

"I thought I was throwing away my lunch. I was carrying more than one bag. I'm sure it's still sitting in the garbage." Morrie said defensively.

"What are you, an idiot? Who the heck would just leave a bag of money sitting in the garbage you bum!" Vic snapped at the now shook up man.

 _Walk_

"$3,937 guys! And it's all ours!" Sid squeezed his fists in excitement as he anxiously followed his friends towards the station.

"Plus change." Gerald reminded them.

Moments later, the tranquil boy noticed how quiet his best friend had been since they met him at the boarding house. "Hey Arnold. What's up with you man?"

Arnold was still thinking about what Phil suggested. Although he liked the idea of sharing the money, he wasn't sure what his friends would think.

The blonde boy began rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he said "Well, I was just thinking…"

"Yeah?" Gerald lifted an eyebrow suspiciously.

"That was a lot of money we found. It's been ninety days and none of us knows yet what to do with it. Maybe we should share it with the rest of our friends?"

Sid stopped his happy prancing and halted to say "What?! Are you crazy?! We can't divide the money even more Arnold!"

Arnold shrugged his shoulders at his overly anxious friend and asked "Why not?"

"Because...because...because they wouldn't know what to do with it either! Yeah! Why bother them with such a big decision?"

Arnold rolled his eyes at his classmate's sad excuse and sighed "Whatever you say Sid."

"Plus, it's Arnold's money now anyway remember?" Gerald grinned widely.

"What are you talking about?" Sid asked with wide, fearful eyes.

Arnold decided to play along as he reminded his friend "Don't you remember? You decided to pay me back for accusing me of stealing it by giving me your share of the money."

Sid stood speechless a moment as he watched his two friends walk ahead. Arnold winked at Gerald, as they listened to their nervous friend say "Oh, you're not really going to hold me to that are you Arnold? I mean, the whole reason we gave you the money to take home was because you're such a good person. Arnold? Arnold? Hey Arnold!"

 _Hillwood Police Department_

"My name's Bruce. I'm here to see my dad Vic."

The officer took the dark haired boy with a crooked tooth to the jail cell his father was in. Bruce followed the officer down the hall, not pleased about this being one of the many times he visited his father in jail. What kind of example was he setting for his son?

After showing Bruce where his father was, the guard left to give the boy some privacy. Bruce stood embarrassed at the idea of having to call such a crook his parent. Vic turned to see his son standing there and said "Hey Bruce! You here to bail me out?"

 _Outside_

Arnold was preparing to open the door to the police department with his now quiet friends, who all had something on their mind. The blonde boy wondered what they would do with so much money if they really weren't going to share it with everyone they knew. Sid stood worrying now if his friends were actually going to hold him to his promise. Gerald was just excited to get the reward.

"Let's go you guys." Arnold motioned for them to follow.

"Right behind you buddy!" Gerald assured him.

The boys walked inside, unsure of where to go. Arnold then noticed a guard heading back towards the front of the station. He willingly walked up and said "Hi. I'm Arnold Shortman. I received a call yesterday about a bag of money my friends and I found ninety days ago with $3,937."

Rather than responding, the officer went to retrieve the bag. The boys stood there now anxiously awaiting to see it, rather than worrying about what they would do with it.

When they were handed the money, Arnold opened the bag, remembering how they felt the moment they found it. It was overwhelming seeing so much money. It was even more overwhelmingly knowing it was legally theirs to keep.

"Well, let's get going man!" Gerald insisted.

Just as they were about to leave with their reward, they noticed an angry teenager stomping towards them.

While Arnold wondered what he was so upset about, Sid screamed and said "AHHH! It's the guy from the park! He's following us!"

Gerald glared with his hands on his hips and pointed out "Sid, we're at the police station. Why would a murderer follow us here?"

The angry teen marched past the boys, not bothering to confront them. Sid then jumped to the conclusion he was there, looking for his stolen money.

"Oh gosh! It was his money! Okay, you can keep it Arnold."

After sharing a hopeless look with Gerald, Arnold began heading for the door with the money and sighed "Come on Sid."

 _The Boarding House_

The boys made it back to the boarding house, anxious to discuss what to do with the money. They headed upstairs to Arnold's bedroom, and counted out the money into three piles, making sure it was all still there.

"Mm, mm, mmm. Well Arnold. What's the first thing we should do?" Gerald asked, holding his share of the money.

The blonde boy looked down at the huge wad of money in his hands, not sure of how to spend it. Every once in awhile it was good to have some spare change, but he was only in fourth grade. His grandparents paid for the home he was in, he went to a public high school, when was he going to need that much money?

"How about we invite everyone over tonight? Just see if they have any ideas for how to use it. Who knows? We could end up liking what they suggest?"

While Gerald wasn't crazy about the idea of giving up his fair share, a part of him felt he owed it to Arnold. After not believing his best friend's story, the least he could do was go along with the request.

"Sounds good to me buddy."

The boys then looked over at Sid, who still seemed a bit shook up from their encounter with the muscular teenager.

"What do you say Sid?" Arnold asked hopefully.

Pulling his knees to his chest, leaning against the bed, Sid nervously replied "Uhh sure. Sounds good hehe."

 _Later That Night_

After calling everyone, Arnold was in his room with all his friends, who were anxious to know what was happening.

"So what's going on Arnold? Nadine asked.

The eager boy smiled as he pulled the money out of his desk drawer to show to his friends.

"Whilikers! Look at all them shiny bills!" Stinky exclaimed at the sight of the stack in his friend's hand.

The blonde boy looked over at Gerald and Sid, implying they were already in on the plan. "The money is legally ours now. $3,937 is a lot though. We thought we could share it with each other this week. You know? Use it to make our break even more fun for each other."

"Alright! I'm getting my kitten!" Harold shouted in excitement, not caring how weak it made him sound.

"A kitten, Harold?" Rhonda smirked.

The group began to let out a few snickers as the angry boy said "Shut up or I'll pound all of ya!"

After an awkward silence took place, Arnold continued with his plan. "So anyway, I thought we could spend the week together, letting everyone pick one thing they'd like to do."

"It sounds delightful Arnold." Phoebe said sweetly, as she sat on the bed with her hands folded in her lap.

As he listened to his friend, Arnold couldn't help but notice something (or someone) was missing.

"Hey Phoebe, where's Helga? I called her house to invite her to come but nobody answered."

 _Flashback_

 _Helga's House_

The vexed girl was rummaging through the empty cabinets when she finally scowled "Criminy Miriam! What did you do? Forget to go shopping again?"

Normally shouting would be enough to wake the drowsy woman. After standing with her hands on her hips, yelling for her mother to wake up, Helga decided to give up. Even if Miriam did finally budge, it's not like she'd be of any use to her.

The neglected girl then helped herself to her careless parent's purse; lucky enough to find a ten dollar bill inside her wallet.

The pigtailed girl began making her way out the door to grab herself a burger. Before shutting it behind herself, she sarcastically shouted "I'm leaving now!"

Moments later, the phone rang. Miriam continued to lay there drooling on the counter, not hearing the continuous rings of the caller.

 _End of Flashback_

The intelligent girl began to adjust her glasses as she replied to the caring boy "I regret to inform you I haven't seen her since yesterday."

Although they weren't together, not having Helga around (no matter how negative the attention was she paid him) made his life seem empty. He stood there sighing with the money in his hand, thinking to himself…

 _I hope she's okay._


	3. Chapter 3

**A few things about the episode. I don't know if anyone noticed Helga and Phoebe weren't at the school when they tied Arnold up. The only time they're shown in this episode is in a tiny corner of the classroom at the beginning of the week. I suppose it's because Helga's heart couldn't handle the sight anymore than Phoebe's conscience could the idea of it.**

 **Also, the only reason the eccentric lady found Arnold was because she had his bus pass. I could be COMPLETELY wrong, but from what I've read, bus passes have your name, the expiration date, and the name of the company that gave it to you...but not the school you attend.**

 **Like I said, I could be COMPLETELY wrong. Who knows, maybe she took it to the police, they looked him up somehow, and had some information on him. If not, I guess they had to make the episode work somehow.**

 **Whether or not that's true, I noticed on the episode his pass had his name, expiration date, bus company, but not the school.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Chapter 3: The Choice Is Yours To Make

 _Helga's House_

Olga was in the kitchen preparing her famous homemade waffles when she heard a knock at the door.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Coming!" the giddy girl shouted.

The college graduate opened the door to see a familiar face waiting there.

"Hello Phoebe! Did you come to eat with us?" Olga asked eagerly.

The small girl stood patiently waiting to be let in as she replied "Thank you for the offer. However, I merely came to check on Helga."

"Check on her? Why?" Olga asked worriedly.

"My classmates and I were simply curious to know why she wasn't interested in attending the meeting Arnold put together at his home last night."

 _Helga's Room_

The poetic girl laid on her bed with her book, writing her feelings for the one she so desperately longed to be with…

 _Oh Arnold! My soul. You light up my life's dark tunnel, yet you can never know. You are the ray of hope in my life's pointless existence. One day I will…_

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Helga sighed as she closed her book, assuming one of her parents was about to interrupt her with meaningless news.

"What?!"

"It's me Helga; Phoebe."

The blonde girl stood up to let her friend in and said "Hey Pheebs, how's it going?"

After coming to take a seat on the bed, Phoebe replied "Quite well. I simply came to ask why you weren't at Arnold's last night?"

Helga cocked her brow at what seemed to be an absurd question and asked "What the heck are you talking about?"

 _Walk_

The kids were making their first stop with the money. After meeting in front of the boarding house, they began discussing what the first place was to take it.

"Let's stop at the bookstore and pick up my new health food book I've told you all about." Sheena suggest.

"That's stupid! Besides, we need to get to the pet store before all the good kittens are taken!" Harold shouted.

"No offense Harold, but you sound an awful lot like a girl." Stinky felt the need to point out.

The group began to argue about the best place to go, until Arnold at last felt the need to put his problem solving skills to good use. "Since we'll never get it all done in one day anyway, how about we do two things every day. That way, everyone gets a chance to do what they want before the week is over."

The kids stared at each other, knowing they would all have to give in to one another at some point. No one was going to have all the money to keep for themselves.

"Sounds good Arnold." Nadine agreed.

"Except for one thing." Rhonda sneered.

"What's that?" Gerald lifted an eyebrow suspiciously, knowing she was just trying to cause trouble.

"How are we supposed to decide who goes first?"

Silence took over the group until Arnold once again spoke up. "I've got an idea!"

 _Helga's House_

"It's not MY fault Miriam can't remember to go shopping! Criminy!" Helga snapped after hearing the story.

"I suppose not. The class is preparing to exploit their exciting ideas for how to spend the money if you'd like to join us today?"

Helga sighed as she turned to cross her arms and said "No thanks Pheebs."

"I can't help but feel there's something you're not sharing with me?" the intelligent girl couldn't help but pry.

 _The Boarding House_

After inviting his friends over, Arnold brought everyone upstairs to sit, while he grabbed a sheet of paper from his desk.

"I don't reckon there's much to spend the money on back here?" Stinky assumed.

The group rolled it's eyes as Sid turned to say, "Stinky, you're an idiot."

The blonde boy wrote numbers 1 - 12 on the paper, then ripped it up to throw into a bowl.

"Okay, everyone pick a number. Whoever picks the first two will go today. We'll go in order for the rest of the week."

The group reached into the bowl until everyone had a number, and the pairs were made...

Eugene and Sheena

Nadine and Sid

Harold and Rhonda

Stinky and Lila

Gerald and Arnold

Phoebe and Helga

 _Helga's House_

"So you already knew who the money belonged to?" Phoebe asked curiously, after listening to her friend's story…

 _Flashback_

 _91 Days Ago_

A hard week had gone by for Arnold. Sid was accusing his friend so often, it had reached the point where even his best friend could no longer trust him.

Helga sat in her closet thinking about the terrible way her beloved had been treated recently by their classmates.

Staring at the watermelon shrine with banana hair she made of him, she began to pour her troubled heart out…

 _Oh Arnold! You poor tortured creature! Suffering the accusations of our idiot classmates who are in no way worthy of your friendship! Alas my love! I won't waste another minute! I'll find the money and restore to you, your normal life!_

 _90 Days Ago_

After deciding to skip school, Helga was walking the streets of Hillwood, unsure of where to start. "Okay, so I have to find some freak with pink hair, a peg leg, and one eyebrow. Guess I can rule out Princess' house."

 _P.S.118_

Arnold was sitting, reading quietly on the bench, while Sid was stirring up the rest of their classmates.

"I say we teach him a lesson! I say we make him pay! I say we tie him up to the tetherball pole!"

 _Walk_

"Criminy! I've searched half the freaking city!"

Library

The Corner Store

The Arcade

The Park

The Aquarium

Chez Paris

The Roller Rink

The Bowling Alley

Helga was staring angrily at her list, not knowing where to search next. Just as she was rounding the corner of the street, she bumped into somebody...THUMP!

After shaking her head vigorously, she stood up and snapped "Hey! Watch where you're going you pink haired freak!"

The angry girl's eyes widened after taking a moment to view who she had just bumped into…

 _Pink hair, peg leg, one eyebrow!_

"I'm terribly sorry young lady. I was in a hurry to find someone."

"Pttss...yeah. Who might that be?" Helga scoffed with her hands on her hips.

The eccentric lady pulled out a bus pass from her pocket to show to the girl and asked "Do you know this boy?"

Helga's eyes widened at the sight of her beloved's picture. Despite the day circling the city, things turned out easier than she expected.

"Uhh yeah. I know him." she stuttered.

"Do you know where I might find him?"

After hearing from the pigtailed girl Arnold was currently at P.S.118, the peg legged lady made her way towards the police station, where she had taken the money earlier that week.

 _P.S.118_

Arnold hung tight as could be by the tetherball pole, knowing there was nothing more he could say to convince his friends he was innocent. As he watched the angry mob wave their fists at him, everyone turned to see a police car pulling up.

"Who's that?" Sid wondered.

"I reckon it's an old lady with pink hair, a peg leg and one eyebrow." Stinky replied.

"Is there a boy named Arnold here?" the eccentric lady hoped.

Gerald happily pointed to his free friend and said "He's right here."

"I've been looking for you! I found all that money and turned it into the police station. It wasn't until yesterday that I found your bus pass."

 _End of Flashback_

Phoebe smiled at her friend's story and said "That was quite a lovely gesture you performed on Arnold's behalf. I'm sure he would be happy to have you join us this week."

Helga stood thinking for a moment. While she and Arnold were friends, they hadn't reached the point of a relationship (or for all she knew ever would).

Whether or not she joined them, he was bound to wonder how the lady found him.

 _Real Riders_

The gang made its first stop at the bike store Eugene's red bike came from. The anxious redhead entered the shop, hoping to find one just like his old bike.

"Oh look at all the lovely bikes!" Sheena exclaimed.

"I'm ever so curious to know what your old bike looked like Eugene?" Lila asked, never having seen it before.

"It was great! Big thick tires so I could run over glass. Gears to switch, so I could easily pedal up hills. Breaks on the handle bars! It was my dream bike!"

While the kids were looking around, Gerald turned to his best friend and said "That anxious look you're wearing implies _you'll_ be the one getting the bike."

"Huh? Oh I'm just excited for him is all." Arnold insisted.

Thinking back to the day Eugene rode his bike to school, Arnold accidently wrecked it moments after Eugene walked away from it. It was one incident after another as he tried to pay his friend back for the trouble. Now he didn't have to worry about lifting a finger. All he had to do was watch his friend pick out what he wanted, then give him the money for it.

"Look at this you guys!"

The group looked across the store to see the perky redhead standing beside a red bike, that appeared to be similar to his previous one.

"It's lovely Eugene!" Sheena exclaimed.

The service clerk saw the group of kids gathered around, implying a sale was about to be made. He made his way over to them and asked "May I help you?"

Eugene held onto the bike as if it was his already and replied "I'm thinking about buying this bike. Is it a good one?"

The service clerk smiled and began explaining the benefits of the bike to the anxious boy…

"Well kid, this bike's got some of the best features you could ask for

Durable high tensile strength steel frame and fork

Tough forged chromoly one piece cranks can take a beating

Comfortable padded seat

Mechanical disc brakes that stop faster than the average brake system

Sealed bearing front hub requires little to no maintenance

Arnold smiled at the description, knowing it would be perfect for his friend. Eugene's eyes lit with anticipation as he asked "How much does it cost?"

 _Helga's House_

Phoebe sat watching her discouraged friend and said "Helga, if Arnold begins to grow suspicious of your whereabouts that day, you could simply explain you were willing to give her directions to the school. There's no need to inform him of your reasons for missing that day."

Helga placed her hands on her hips, feeling as though her friend still wasn't understanding the problem. "Criminy Pheebs! That won't stop him from asking why I wasn't at school to begin with."

The small girl stood from the bed, feeling her friend was once again over-reacting. While she understood Helga's reasons for keeping her love a secret, there was no harm in letting him know she did something nice for him; like any good friend would do.

"The choice is yours to make Helga."

 _Real Riders_

"Okay kid. That'll be $325."

Eugene watched Arnold eagerly hand the money over to the cashier as he said "Gee Arnold. You're a pal!"

"Now you just need to go home and get your favorite baseball card to make it perfect." the blonde boy smiled.

"I'm going to go try it out right now! I'll see you guys later! Thanks again Arnold!"

The group watched the happy boy ride off down the street. While Arnold stood smiling, Gerald placed his hands on his hips and asked "So how far you think he'll make it before he crashes?"

 _Helga's House_

Helga and Phoebe were leaving the house when they saw Eugene riding his bike down the street.

"Wee! I'm a bird! I'm a plane!"

Phoebe waved at their friend who was approaching them and said "Hello Eugene!"

The excited boy put his new brakes to the test and said "Gosh! These work great!"

The girls walked over to see their classmate waiting for them. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"I was speaking with Helga about the meeting that was held at Arnold's last night. Is the group still spending the day sharing ideas on how to spend the money?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Yeah! We just went to the bike shop. Arnold got me this great new bike!" Eugene exclaimed.

While Phoebe acknowledged the impressiveness of it, Helga glared, thinking to herself…

 _Oh brother. Let's see him make it home without crashing._

"Would you happen to know the next stop on their list of activities?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

 _The Book Store_

"Aww what are we doing at a stupid book store! This is supposed to be a fun week!" Harold pouted.

"You'll get your turn on Tuesday Harold. Right now, we're doing what Sheena wants to do." Arnold reminded his uninterested friend.

While Sheena was off looking for her book, Sid stood looking around and said "I kind of have to agree with Harold. I mean, if this is supposed to be exciting, why not just stay at school?"

"Well I'm looking just ever so forward to learning about the new, healthy dishes she promised to teach us about!" Lila exclaimed.

"Teach? Healthy? This is some stupid class!" Harold whined until the group heard…

"Ahh shut your mouth you big tub of lard!"

While Harold frowned at the insult, Arnold smiled to see the two missing people from their group. "Hey guys. How'd you know we were here?"

"Eugene was kind enough to inform us of where you'd be starting your exciting list of activities." Phoebe explained.

"Guess that means he hasn't crashed yet." Gerald said wittily.

"Don't hold your breath hairboy." Helga warned him, having as little faith as everyone else that their clumsy classmate would last long without wrecking his new bike.

Moments later, the group saw Sheena returning with her long desired book. "I've found it everyone! Let's go pay!"

As Helga was beginning to follow the healthy girl to the register, she felt someone grab her wrist.

"Hey! Who said you could touch me?"

Normally Arnold would apologize for getting his classmate so worked up. He knew her attitude would change when she saw what he was about to show her however.

"Come over here while they pay. I have something for you."

Cocking her brow at the request, Helga stuttered "Okay…."

The pigtailed girl stood with her hands on her hips as she watched her beloved fish into his pockets for something.

Her eyes widened as her hands fell to her sides when she saw him holding out the money to give to her.

"Here."

"What's this for?"

"We all divided the money to spend however we want this week. We each get $328."

After sensing the dazed state she had fallen into, Helga shook her head and scoffed "I'm guessing Klutzilla wasted his share on that soon to be thrashed bike of his."

Arnold began to rub his neck, knowing how likely it was. At least this time, it wouldn't be his fault. "Yeah, he picked it out this morning."

"Pttss...figures. So who's fun day is it tomorrow?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Where Did This Come From?

The gang was waiting outside the boarding house for everyone to appear. One by one the kids showed up until there was one person missing.

"Where in the heck is Sid? Ain't it his turn to pick what we're doing?" Stinky asked.

"Yeah man. He was more excited about the money than any of us." Gerald agreed, looking towards his best friend.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders unsure of what to say, as he replied "I'm sure he's…"

The group then turned their heads to see a sobbing boy approaching them.

Leaning against the stoop with her legs crossed, Helga stared at the sorry boy and scoffed "Pttss...this should be good."

Standing from the stoop, Arnold walked over to comfort his friend and asked "What is it Sid?"

 _Flashback_

 _Sid's House_

The anxious boy was sitting on his bed, wondering what the best way to spend his turn would be. Even if the idea of the money originally belonging to the creepy teenager was a possibility, it was legally his now. When would he ever have a chance to go crazy with his desires like this again?

Leaning against the head of the bed, Sid stared at the notepad in his lap he was using to list ideas for his turn.

Roller Rink

Arcade

Comic Store

Bowling Alley

As he held his pencil to his lip, wondering what else he could add, he was greeted by a friendly face.

RIBBET!

"Oh, hey Sidney!"

Sid was preparing to pick up his pet when the hyper amphibian jumped towards his nightstand. The soda he had been drinking spilled onto the floor and all over a treasured item.

 _End of Flashback_

"For crying out loud. It's just a pair of dumb boots." Helga scowled, amazed at her classmate's inability to handle a pair of stained boots.

"Ones that I must point out are highly out of style." Rhonda sneered.

Arnold placed a hand on his sulking friend's shoulder and said "Why don't we go to the mall? You could buy a new pair."

 _Mall_

While the group was heading into the shoe store, Nadine couldn't help but notice Rhonda hesitating to join them. "What are you waiting for Rhonda?"

The stylish girl let out a loud huff and replied "Had I known we'd be spending the day here, I would have brought my share of the money with me!"

Nadine rolled her eyes at her impatient friend and pointed out "It's not your day to pick anyway Rhonda. We'll be doing whatever you want tomorrow. Right now we're getting Sid's boots."

"Fine, but he better pick a decent pair if he's to be seen shopping with _me_!"

The girls then entered the store to see Sid already trying on a pair of boots similar to the ones he owned.

"How do they feel Sid?" Arnold asked, as he watched his friend struggling to get his feet into the boots.

Stinky watched the trouble their friend was having and said "I reckon it can't be too easy for him to tell. On account of he can't even get them on."

While the boys were struggling to find a comfortable size boot, Phoebe and Helga were circling the store.

"Heels, sandals, flip flops...Criminy. I feel like I'm in Olga's closet." Helga smirked.

"Thank you for deciding to join us today Helga. I know how much it means to Arnold to have all of his friends here to share the reward with."

Helga blushed at the remark, finding it hard to believe Arnold actually appreciated her company. Doing her best not to fight it, she softly said "Uhh don't mention it Pheebs."

As the boys were searching for another good pair, Rhonda took notice of the sulking boy and said "Oh for heaven's sakes! You're going about this entirely the wrong way!"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at the accusation and asked "And you care because?"

"Because I have been trying for years to teach you people a thing or two about style. If it takes crushing your spirits to get you to listen, so be it." Rhonda sneered, as she looked at Sid's puffy red cheeks.

Hearing the disturbance from across the store, Helga headed towards the group and asked "So what's your brilliant fashion tip this time Princess?"

"For starters, his original boots were White Cuban Heel Toed. What does he think this is? The sixties?"

"What would you recommend Rhonda?" Phoebe was curious to know.

"Today's in style boots are Wingtip! Black being the best color of course. Not to mention, they would match well with his jacket."

The group shrugged it's shoulders, unsure of how to counter. While they didn't appreciate Rhonda's constant criticism, she knew more about fashion than all of them put together.

"Okay then." Sid sighed after rubbing the remaining tears from his eyes.

Rhonda smiled at the idea of her friends giving into her and said "Perfect! I'll go ask the service clerk for his best pair. What size are you?"

"An eight."

After getting the needed information, the modish girl went to retrieve a pair of (what she was sure to be) pleasing boots.

Sid sat on the bench, staring at the stain on his Beatle boots. He'd worn that type of shoe ever since he was a baby. It was like losing his hat.

The sad boy continued staring at his ruined necessity until he heard "Here we are!"

Rhonda handed the new pair of boots to her classmate to try on. Unlike the previous few pairs he tried, this pair slid on perfectly. Sid stood to view himself in the mirror with them on.

"Looking good Sid!" Gerald gave his friend a thumbs up, liking the new look.

"Those look great on you Sid!" Arnold said happily.

"They're just oh too perfect!" Lila agreed, just as impressed with the look as she was with Rhonda's advice.

"Do you find them to be a suitable match for you Sid?" Phoebe wondered, not yet having heard his opinion.

After a few more views of himself in the mirror, Sid turned to his friends and said "They're great!"

"No need to thank me." Rhonda smiled, knowing it wouldn't have happened without her help.

"Don't worry, they won't." Helga scoffed, as she followed her friends to the register.

"That'll be $150." the cashier said.

Sid paid the man and left the store to see he still had $178 remaining.

"Thanks for coming you guys. What do you say we spend the rest of it at the Roller Rink? We could order a few pizzas while we're there."

"Alright! Pizza!" Harold shouted.

 _The Roller Rink_

While half the group was enjoying pizza at the counter, the other half was skating around the rink.

"Watch me skate backwards Stinky!" Sid insisted.

"Okie dokie then!" the country boy said, as he watched his small friend start to roll backwards.

"Whee! Whee! Wh...whoa!"

Sid turned to see he bumped into a familiar yet angry face.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing punk!"

"Oh gosh! It's the murderer! Ahhh!" Sid screamed, as he curled up into a ball on the skating floor.

After the annoyed teen rolled away, Arnold raced onto the floor (not caring he wasn't wearing skates).

"Are you okay Sid?"

"Who in the heck was that?" Stinky asked, not having been told about their encounter with the muscular boy.

The rest of the gang began heading towards their friends to see what the commotion was about.

"It's just a guy we saw at the park. We've run into him a few times since then, but…"

Sid then cut Arnold off to finish "He's been following us! Trying to get me back for hitting him with a football!"

"So you can't dribble _or_ kick." Helga smirked, as she leaned against the edge of the rink, listening in on the story.

 _Walk_

After failing at his plan to take his mind off his dad with a day spent at the roller rink, Bruce began wondering the streets. If he went home, he would have to listen to his mother nag him about the visit to see his father. While she understood a kid (or teenager) needs to see their parents, the parent showing little concern for setting a good example for their offspring makes it a bit pointless.

Bruce stared at the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets as he continued to walk forward.

 _Maybe mom's right. I should just give up on dad. Every time I see him I think something about him may have changed that will get my hopes up a little bit. I always leave more upset than I was to begin with. I alw..._ THUMP!

Not watching where he was going, the emotionally conflicted teen bumped into someone. Bruce rubbed his forehead as he looked up to say "Oh sorry I... Jamie O?"

 _The Roller Rink_

Once all but a few dollars of Sid's money was spent, the group turned to Nadine. "Have you decided on how you'd be interested in spending your share of the profit Nadine?" Phoebe wondered.

The outdoor girl stopped to think for a moment. Her interests didn't normally lead to financial troubles. "We could go to Mrs. Vitello's."

"Since when do you like flowers Nadine?" Rhonda sneered.

An eager look appeared on Nadine's face (as if she had been anxious to reveal this information). "I've been keeping a journal of all the insects I've found, and research I've done on them. Certain flowers attract things like ladybugs, butterflies, and bees."

 _Walk_

"How's it going bro? I haven't seen you since eighth grade!" Jamie O punched his friend on the shoulder.

Bruce smiled at his long missed friend, then sighed as he replied "Yeah, things got pretty bad when my mom left my dad. Now that she's not worried about him following us, we moved back into our old house. He keeps getting thrown into jail though."

"I'm sorry bro! I just went to the store for a few protein bars."

Bruce shook his head, knowing his friend had been into keeping himself in shape ever since they were little. "Still into the whole fitness thing huh?"

"Yeah. Hey! You should come over for dinner tomorrow. I could make us something to eat."

Bruce lifted an eyebrow, not believing what he was hearing. "You cook?"

The fit teen began to blush, knowing there was a lot he and his friend had to catch up on. "Uhh yeah. I was dating this girl for awhile. And I kind of…"

Bruce rolled his eyes at his friend, knowing one reason Jamio O was into fitness was to attract the ladies. "Well, it's good to know your working out finally _worked out_ for you."

Hearing this made Jamie O grow anxious; as if it was his last chance to speak with Bruce. The fit boy leaned forward and excitedly said "So I'll see you at dinner tomorrow. You remember where I live?"

Bruce reached out for his missed buddy's hand, doing a similar handshake to Arnold and Geralds'. The two of them were so close at one time, yet their old memories of each other remained "Yeah buddy. See you tomorrow."

 _Mrs. Vitello's_

"This brings back memories, huh Gerald?" Arnold asked his old business partner.

"Pttss...Oh brother. Don't tell me you dweebs actually worked here?" Helga leered, listening in on the conversation.

"Yep, and my man and I made good money doing it." Gerald said, giving his best friend their secret handshake.

While the boys were telling half the class about their fun week spent working in the flower shop, Nadine was searching for flowers she knew would be of good use to her.

"How are you dear?" Mr. Vitello asked.

"Oh I'm fine. I was just looking for some plants that could attract some new insects for me to research. Things like ladybugs, butterflies, bees, etc." Nadine explained.

Mrs. Vitello stopped to think for a moment until she replied "Well dear some good plants are things like dandelions and dahlias. Something else good would be Compositae flowers; daisies and sunflowers."

The older lady handed her customer the yellow flowers as she continued walking her around the store. "Another good thing about these flowers is they can encourage the pollination process."

The rest of the group stood by the door, finding it to be an odd thing to spend her money on. "Why would she waste her money on something she could get for free? I mean, all she has to do is pick them out of somebody's yard." Sid assumed.

 _Gerald's House_

Martin was sitting in the kitchen going over the family bills, while his wife was busy doing the dishes. He lifted his head from his work when he saw their older son entering the room with a bag. "Hey son. You get your protein bars?"

"Yeah, and I have a friend coming over for dinner tomorrow." he said excitedly.

"That's great. Who is it sweetie?" Mrs. Johanson turned to ask, while scrubbing a plate in her hand.

"Bruce!"

Martin appeared concerned at the news as he replied "Bruce? Didn't he move away?"

"Yeah, but he's back. I bumped into him on my way home from the store."

"Hmm...I don't know son. That family of his has a lot of problems." Martin said hesitantly.

Mrs. Johanson set the dishes down, noticing the upset look on her son's face. "Martin relax. Bruce has been here before, and nothing bad happened."

"Well okay then. I don't want you two spending the night playing C.D's like you used to when you were little. Gerald has a bad habit of pushing the electric bill too far."

 _Later That Evening_

The gang was standing outside outside the flower shop, while Nadine was holding her new plants in her hands. "I can't wait to plant these! The sooner I do, the sooner I'll see the insects they attract."

"I still think you could have just picked a few from someone else's yard." Sid shrugged his shoulders, feeling a good amount of money had been wasted.

"You said a mouthful there pal!" Helga pointed a finger, feeling the visit in general had been a waste of time.

"Dead plants don't attract insects. If I want to finish my journal, I need something I can plant."

Arnold looked at his friends who seemed displeased with the way most of the day had gone. "It's getting late anyway. We'll go to the pet store for Harold tomorrow…"

"And the mall again, but this time for _me_!" Rhonda pointed towards herself, making it clear her turn was going to be spent as she pleased.

"Uhh right. I'll see you guys later." The blonde boy waved.

 _Gerald's House_

The idea of seeing his old friend again had Jamie O acting as strangely as he did when he was with Cherice. He was circling the house, making sure everything would be perfect for when his friend arrived. Finally, he made it to Gerald's room.

Although he had a feeling he wouldn't be bringing Bruce in there, the fit teen searched around to make sure there was nothing he had to worry about embarrassing him. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the drawer to Gerald's nightstand was partially open.

The curious teen opened the drawer to see a pleasing stack of money. Jamie O picked it up, thinking to himself…

 _What's Gerald doing with all this money?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: I've Been Wondering

 _Pet Love_

The gang stood outside the pet store the next day, waiting for their missing member to arrive. "Where's Harold? He's the one who wanted to come here." Sid said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sure he's on his way." Arnold said optimistically.

"He better be! I'm not wasting part of my day standing around when I could be at the mall." Rhonda said in a snooty tone.

 _Harold's House_

The excited boy was heading past the dining room where his parents were eating when he heard "Where are you going son?"

Harold turned to see his parents waiting for him to join them. "Nowhere. I'm just going to meet my friends is all."

"That sounds nice." Jerry said in a quiet tone, while Marilyn found it strange her son wasn't joining them for breakfast.

"Don't you want to eat your scrambled eggs sweetie? I made them with extra butter, just the way you like them!"

Harold began to place his hand on the door knob, hesitant to open it after hearing the offer. "Uhhh no thanks. I gotta get going."

"What's your hurry son?" Jerry was curious to know.

"It's nothing! Leave me alone!" the anxious boy raced out the door, knowing his parents weren't crazy about the idea of him having a pet.

After seeing their son leave, Jerry looked at his wife and asked "What do you think is wrong with him?"

Marilyn waved off her husband's concern as she replied "Oh he's fine Jerry. He's a growing boy. You know how kids his age are."

"Well he could stand to fix his attitude a bit."

"JERRY!" the offended lady yelled, as if she was the one who had just been insulted.

The quiet man shrugged his shoulders at his wife's concern and replied "What? A mature attitude? That's all I'm saying. What's wrong with that?"

 _Pet Love_

The gang stood becoming impatient until they finally noticed their friend heading towards the shop.

"Criminy! Where the heck were you Pink boy?!" Helga scowled, not appreciating how long they had to wait.

Harold took notice of the frowns his friends were wearing and snapped "Hey! It's spring break! I can stay in bed all week if I want!"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his classmate's excuse and replied "Good luck taking care of that cat then."

"Shut up or I'll pound all of ya!" the husky boy threatened, shoving his fist in their faces.

Arnold didn't like the excessive tension that was forming. What was supposed to be a fun week seemed to be turning into a checklist of errands. "Let's just go inside and get the cat you guys. If he's lucky, there's one that looks like Cupcake."

 _Bruce's House_

Bruce was sitting on his worn out couch, flipping through the tv channels. Nothing good appeared to be on, but what else did he have to do? No matter how he tried to entertain himself, his mind remained fixated on the horrible job his father did taking care of him.

The teen sat sulking on the couch with his head resting in his hand against the arm of it. Sigh after sigh relinquished from him until at last he heard the phone ring.

RING! RING!

Bruce reached over the arm of the couch to pick up the phone and said…

"Hello?"

"Hey bro! It's Jamie O!"

"Hey man. Don't worry, I'm still coming tonight."

"Actually, I thought you might like to hang out now. I've got some extra cash. If you want, we could just spend the day goofing off?"

 _Pet Love_

The kids walked inside to see a blonde teen with a somber facial expression. Arnold walked over to her with Harold and said "Hi, my friend here is looking to buy a kitten."

The depressed girl sighed at what she found to be an obvious reason for their visit and replied "And may I say, what a thrill it is for me. I live to serve."

"Do you have one here that looks like a cupcake?"

The service clerk looked at Arnold, wondering if he knew how ridiculous his friend sounded. "A cupcake?"

"Yeah! You know chocolate covered, and...and a white stomach that...that looks like frosting!" Harold nodded in excitement.

"Are you planning to take care of it, or do I need to report you to the ASPCA?" the teen smirked.

While most of the kids began to snicker at the remark, Stinky couldn't help but ask "The AS what now?"

Happy to fill in the blanks for her friend, Phoebe replied "What the service clerk is referring to is The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This being a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing any cruelty or harmful behavior they feel an animal may undergo."

"Yeah Pink boy. You gonna take care of it, or spend the day licking it?" Helga scoffed with her hands on her hips.

As Harold began clenching his fists, Arnold patted his friend on the back and said "Come on you guys. He took care of the other cat. He'll take care of this one too."

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald shook his head, as the gang watched the husky boy begin to make his way around the shop.

 _Slausens_

Sitting with his friend in the ice cream parlor, Jamie O began sipping his chocolate shake as he listened to Bruce ask "So where'd you get the extra money?"

"It was in Gerald's room." the fit teen said bluntly, not caring how self absorbed it made him seem.

A soft smile appeared on Bruce's face as he stared at his folded arms on the table and said "I guess you two still don't get along well then?"

Jamie O pushed his shake aside, realizing how much his friend remembered about him.

"Every once in awhile I try to be nice. Maybe take him out for some ice cream. That's just from time to time though. You know, when I feel like it."

 _Pet Love_

Phoebe and Helga were wondering the shop, waiting for their friend to make a decision. The small Asian girl noticed a new monitor lizard in the center cage of the store. "If I may ask Helga, what happened to your monitor lizard?"

Helga's shoulders began to tense at the question. Although Arnold didn't know the reason behind her having it, speaking of it could easily lead to the mentioning of her poem about him. "Uhh lizard? What lizard?" the nervous girl tugged at her collar.

"Surely you remember asking me to keep an eye on it for you. Then when we were in class the next day…" the intelligent girl began trying to jog her friend's memory, until Helga anxiously hushed her.

"Shhh! Yes, but let's not talk about it in here." the pigtailed girl whispered, while motioning for her friend to join her outside.

As the girls were leaving the shop, their friends were watching Harold trying to make up his mind about a pet. "Awww none of these look like cupcakes!" the husky boy whined, as he crossed his arms and turned to lean against the cage.

Rhonda rolled her eyes at the time she felt was being wasted and sneered "Would you _please_ make up your mind! We're wasting valuable shopping time!"

Arnold looked behind his friend to see a kitten pressing its paws against the glass of the cage. "I think he likes you Harold."

The frustrated boy uncrossed his arms and turned to see a white cat with dark stripes scattered across its body.

 _Outside_

Helga pulled her friend outside and around the corner of the shop. Although she didn't have to worry about anyone hearing them from inside the store, being within their sight was enough to make her uncomfortable.

Standing on the corner of the street, Phoebe looked into her friend's nervous eyes and asked "Is everything alright Helga?"

"Criminy Pheebs! I've been lucky enough not to have him breathe a word of the incident ever since the moment he saw me swing the umbrella at the stupid parrot. I can't risk bringing it up again around him!"

Feeling guilty for putting her friend on the spot, Phoebe said softly "I do apologize Helga. I just felt the idea of you keeping such an eccentric pet to be a bit precarious."

"Well doi!" the blonde girl scowled with her hands on her hips.

 _Walk_

Jamie O and Bruce left the ice cream parlor, anxious to find another place to spend Gerald's share of the money.

"Any ideas for what to do now bro?" the fit boy waved the handful of cash at his friend, implying they had nothing but fun ahead of them.

Bruce looked towards the sky, thinking about all the good times they shared in grade school. "Bet you I could still beat you in air hockey at the arcade."

"You're on! So what else is new with you? Any cars you wrecked, girls you picked up, or crazy pets you may have now?"

Bruce looked over at his friend, intrigued to share the story with him…

 _Flashback_

 _A Few Months Ago_

After a day spent in class full of relief Arnold hadn't found out who the author of the poem was, Helga picked up the lizard to take home.

Although the rain had stopped by that point, the air was still humid. Walking down the damp streets, the frustrated girl carried the heavy pet and thought…

 _Oh brother! What the heck am I supposed to do with this thing? I'm not going to spend twenty bucks on pet food when..._ THUMP!

The lizard hissed at the teen Helga crashed into as she shook her head and said "Watch where you're going freakazoid!"

Not appearing to be offended, the teen crossed his arms with a grin on his face and asked "Taking your pet for a walk?"

"Who asked you?" Helga scoffed, not appreciating the smart remark.

"No one. You don't seem to be enjoying yourself though."

Rolling her eyes at his observation, Helga struggled to hold onto the pet as she scoffed "Well doi! Would you enjoy lugging around something twice your weight?"

Bruce stared at the lizard, remembering the promise Vic made to bring one home for his fifth birthday. At his party the next day, the young boy sat at the table, watching his ice cream cake melt in front of his friends as they waited for him to arrive. Finally, the house phone rang. Bruce's mother answered it to find out her husband had been caught drinking and driving.

After sighing at the memory, Bruce smiled at the vexed girl and said "I've wanted one of those since I was five."

Helga didn't hesitate to hand it over as she scoffed "Pttss...help yourself bucko!"

 _End of Flashback_

 _Pet Love_

Helga finished revealing the information to Phoebe just as they heard the gang leaving the shop. The girls approached the front door to see Harold holding the dark striped kitten, and a bag of cat food. Phoebe smiled at her content friend and said "He suits you well Harold."

"Tell them what you named him." Sid insisted.

"Sundae! He looks like white ice cream with chocolate syrup all over him!" Harold said excitedly, as he held the sweet cat up in the air.

Rhonda rolled her eyes at the excessive attention being paid to the kitten and sneered "We've got the cat! Let's get to the mall before all the good things are taken!"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at the suggestion and replied "It's a mall. I don't think you have too much to worry about."

"Are you coming with us Harold?" Arnold wondered.

The husky boy continued petting his new friend who reminded him of Cupcake. Looking into the cat's sweet eyes, Harold said "Uhh no thanks. I'm going to go home and feed Sundae...then make myself one to eat!"

 _The Arcade_

"Score!" Bruce shouted, once again having beaten his friend at air hockey.

"You got lucky bro." Jamie O said, as he picked up his Yahoo Soda sitting on the side of the table.

"No luck, just talent."

Bruce was about to take a sip of his Yahoo when he said to his friend "I wonder if they'll ever find another Yahoo Soda kid?"

"If they do, he can't be any dumber than the last one." Jamie O rolled his eyes, as he dropped a quarter in the machine to start a new game.

Not giving his full attention to the game, Bruce asked "Why do you say that?"

"Gerald's idiot classmate was the last guy to do it. Then he ended up turning down a million dollar contract."

Bruce thought back to the last time he was at Jamie O's house. It had been a few years since he'd seen Gerald.

"How is your brother doing, by the way?"

 _Mall_

As they were entering the mall, Rhonda wasted no time heading towards her favorite store, while Helga took a seat at a nearby table in the lobby.

Phoebe looked at her uninterested friend and asked "Aren't you coming with us Helga?"

Glaring at her friend's oblivious question, Helga leered "I'd rather have a root canal."

 _Hot Spot_

"What in the heck is this?" Stinky asked, looking around at all the Preteen Miss outerwear.

Rhonda turned to look at her baffled friend and explained "Only the best fashion store in the city! They advertise and sell clothes from Pre-Teen Miss! Anything from rabbit scarfs to diamond earrings!"

"Mm, mm, mmm! There goes _her_ three hundred." Gerald shook his head, knowing it wouldn't take long for Rhonda to run through her share of the money.

While the temporarily wealthy girl began her shopping, Arnold looked around to see the group was disappearing one by one…

Eugene was off enjoying his new bike

Sheena was learning new meals from her nutrition books

Nadine was planting a garden to complete her insect journal

Harold was home taking care of his new kitten

The break really did seem more like a checklist than a fun list of activities. People were using the money more to complete their own interests than they were to include one another in them. Arnold then looked outside the store to see another missing member of the group.

 _Table_

Helga sat with her head propped in her hand, lightly drumming her fingers against the table thinking to herself…

 _I guess this isn't any worse than sitting in my room all day. Even if I was writing in my poetry books, I'd still be doing it alone. It's not like..._ ARNOLD!

The startled girl looked up when she noticed someone taking a seat beside her "Hey Helga."

The surprised girl shook her head and added "I mean, what are you doing here football head? Don't you want a fashion lesson from Princess?"

Arnold began to rub his neck at the offer and said "Uhh I think I'll be okay. Besides, you looked kind of lonely."

Helga's eyes widened at his observation. Even if he did notice something like that, why did he care? Was he actually concerned about her, or was it just his usual need to butt into other people's business?

 _The Arcade_

"My little brother's been doing okay. Every time I see him, he's hanging out with his friend Arnold." Jamie O explained while still managing to keep his attention on the air hockey game.

Bruce was growing not so concerned with the game as he asked "Who's Arnold?"

"Some kid with a weird shaped head. Other than that he's pretty normal...SCORE!"

Bruce paused for a moment to think about the people he had seen at the park a few days ago. Although most of his attention had been paid to Sid and his petrified state, Arnold was the one he threatened when he shoved the football back at them.

Not noticing how distracted his friend had become, Jamie shouted "That's game brother! What should we do with the rest of this cash?"

 _Harold's House_

Once he made it home with his new friend, Harold stared at the sweet animal and said "Don't worry Sundae, you'll like it here."

The excited boy did his best to quietly open the door. Peeking around the corner, he began to tip-toe inside when he felt the coast was clear. Just as he was making his way upstairs, the kitten let out a soft noise "Meow."

 _Living Room_

Jerry was sitting quietly on the couch, flipping through TV channels, while Marilyn was cooking in the kitchen. He turned off the TV to see if he had heard that correctly…

 _That sounded like a cat?_

 _Staircase_

Harold began to race up the stairs with his new pet until he heard "What's that in your hand son?"

The nervous boy halted after hearing his father's voice. He turned to see his father with his arms crossed, ready for an explanation. "Aww...it's a cat."

Jerry put his hand to his face and sighed "Harold…"

"What? I'll take care of him. See, I've already got the food. Then I'm going to make us a couple of sundaes!"

Jerry glanced towards the kitchen when hearing his wife finishing up with lunch. He then looked back at his son's pleading eyes and said "Don't tell your mother."

 _The Mall_

"I feel kind of guilty we never found out who the money belonged to. It's pretty cool we got to keep it though." Arnold smiled, while continuing to speak with Helga.

The nervous girl gulped, hoping this wasn't about to lead to what it sounded like "Uhh yeah. Cool hehe."

"I am kind of curious to know how that lady found me. A bus pass doesn't have the name of the school you attend on it." Arnold pointed out, while Helga could feel the sweat forming on her brow.

The blonde girl began to rub her neck as she said "Oh well...maybe she took it to the police. I mean criminy, those people butt even further into people's business than you do football head!"

Arnold smiled at his friend's nervous state. Although nothing had been confessed yet, a part of him knew how much she cared for him. Why would she follow him around, acting like one of his close friends if she hated him as much as she said?

"Maybe. I am curious to know why you weren't at school that day though?"

Helga gulped at the question, wondering why it was so important to him. Was he that nosy, or just that curious?

"Uhh no reason hehe."

 _Hot Spot_

"These heels are first rate!" the high class girl exclaimed.

The remainder of the group was growing impatient with Rhonda's desires. Finally, the fashion princess heard "I reckon we've seen everything."

The group began to nod in agreement as Rhonda sneered "Uhh fine!"

Dragging her supplies to the front, she watched the cashier ring her up until her total came to "That'll be three hundred fifty dollars!"

While the group began to laugh at her inability to keep her shopping under control, Rhonda became outraged. "This is absurd! You must be mistaken!"

A perplexed look formed on the cashier's face as he turned it to show her the total.

 _The Table_

"Pheebs just needed my help with something. She wasn't feeling to great that day. I thought I'd check on her is all."

While Arnold was oblivious to everything Helga had done for him over the years, it still didn't answer the question _How did the eccentric lady find him?_

The oblong headed boy sat in silence thinking this over until he saw his friend cocking her brow at something behind him.

"What is it?"

The two leaned forward from their chairs to see Rhonda fighting with the service clerk about her purchase.

"Pttss...this should be good." Helga scoffed, not surprised by their classmate's inability to keep her shopping to a bare minimum.

 _Hot Spot_

"I am not leaving without my things!" Rhonda exclaimed, while frowning at the cashier.

"I'm sorry, but I can't sell you everything if you don't have enough money for it all."

Arnold and Helga then walked up to their friends to see the commotion being caused. "What's going on?" the blonde boy asked.

"Rhonda doesn't have enough money to pay for her things." Sid explained.

As the group watched the high class girl continue to blow her stack, Helga smacked her face and said "Oh for crying out loud, here!"

Arnold looked to see her pulling the cash he had given her out of her pocket.

"Why do you have your money with you?" Arnold couldn't help but ask.

"Pttss...hey. I'm not about to leave a wad of bills laying around for my self absorbed family to get their grubby paws on."

Phoebe frowned at her friend's excuse, feeling the need to point out "While I understand your resentment towards your family Helga, I would hardly consider them to be the type to steal from you."

"Especially when they don't even care to notice you." Rhonda sneered after taking the money.

 _Gerald's House_

After a day spent hanging out with his friend until the money was gone, Jamie O punched his friend's shoulder and said "Great to see you bro!"

"Yeah, we'll do it again soon." Bruce assured him.

Jamie O then waved good-bye to his friend and headed inside the house.

 _Later That Evening_

After the money had been spent that day, the group began going it's separate ways. Arnold watched Gerald head off towards his house. Rather than following him, he looked to Helga and asked "Mind if I walk with you?"

Helga's heart began to flutter at the question. Holding back her swoon, she replied "Sure. I mean, whatever floats your boat football head."

The two began their walk back to her house, as she listened to Arnold say "That was a really nice thing you did for Rhonda."

Helga smirked at the memory and replied "It's not like she appreciated it."

The blonde boy rubbed his neck, as if he had a reason to feel guilty. "I'm sure she does. It was just embarrassing that she couldn't pay for it herself. She's not used to having to borrow money from people."

Helga rolled her eyes at the explanation and leered "Yeah well, maybe that'll teach her to watch that attitude of hers."

Arnold smiled at the ground, tempted to point out how similar she and Rhonda were when it came to over-powering people. While Rhonda wanted everyone to feel she was the best at fashion, Helga wanted to make sure no one thought for a moment they could tell her what to do.

 _Gerald's House_

The placid boy returned from what felt like another day of errands. At least it was one step closer to his day spent with the money. He made his way upstairs to get ready for bed.

Before doing so, he opened his nightstand drawer, just to count the money again. It was hard believing something so incredible was right there in his grasp...or so he thought.

The once laid back boy's eyes widened with fear as he saw the drawer was empty. Gerald could feel his heart beat wildly as he screamed "WHAT?!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Get Mad AND Get Even

 _Gerald's House_

Mrs. Johanson was sitting with Martin at the table (who was going over the finances) when they saw their oldest son walk into the room.

Jamie O headed for the fridge to grab himself a soda when he heard his mother say "Good morning sweetie. How was your day with Bruce?"

Martin lifted his head from the bills he had been giving his full attention to and added "Yeah, wasn't he supposed to come over here yesterday? You didn't do anything to get yourselves into trouble did you? Because I don't have the money to bail anyone out of jail right now."

"Relax dad. All we did was…"

Before Jamie O could begin explaining his exciting day with his friend to his parents, the family heard another member racing into the room.

"Mom! Dad!"

"What is it sweetie?" Mrs. Johanson asked her worried son.

"Has anyone seen the $328 that was in my room…"

"$328! Where'd you get that kind of money? You better not still be selling those Wacko Watches." Martin demanded to know.

While Jamie O was leaning against the counter sipping his soda, Mrs. Johanson explained "He and his friends took some money they found down to the police station a month ago. When no one claimed it, the police said it was theirs to keep."

"Now someone stole it from me! Man, what am I gonna do?" Gerald pleaded for help, until the family began to hear snickering.

"What's so funny son?" Martin asked his older boy.

"Nothing. I gotta go." Jamie O said, as he left the room.

Gerald stood with his head hanging low as his mom patted him on the back and said "Don't worry sweetie. I'm sure it's around here somewhere."

The now depressed boy slowly dragged his feet out of the kitchen, not having the slightest idea of where it could be.

Martin shook his head at his younger son and said "I hope he handles his money more responsibly as he gets older."

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold walked downstairs expecting to spend another day listening to the remainder of his friends choose how to spend their money.

He entered the kitchen to see Phil working on a stack of pancakes Pookie had already made for him.

"Thanks for joining us Tex! Here's your helping!" Pookie said, placing the food in front of her grandson.

Arnold was about to get started when he heard the phone ring…

RING! RING!

"Hello?"

"Hey there Arnold."

"Oh hey Stinky. You ready for your special day?"

"Actually, I'm gonna be spending my day at the arcade."

"The arcade?"

"Yep! I cashed in half my bills for some quarters. I'm gonna finally get me that high score on Whack-A-Mole."

"Uhhh right Stinky."

"Okay then Arnold. See ya."

"See ya."

The blonde boy hung up the phone to retake his seat at the table. Phil noticed how quiet his grandson was being and asked "Hey, what's the problem there shortman?"

"Nothing grandpa. I'm just curious what we'll be doing today. I thought this would be a fun week for everyone. Now that everyone has their own money, they seem to be bailing on the group one by one."

Phil chuckled at his grandson and asked "Arnold, did I ever tell you about the weekly allowance I used to get?"

"No?"

"Ho boy! Every week my dad gave me a whole quarter! I was so excited to see that thing."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow at his elder and repeated "A quarter, grandpa?"

"Yes sir. Of course it was the 20's. Back then a pack of cigarettes only cost a dime. Anywho, every week I showed Jimmy Kafka the way my allowance grew. We knew soon enough we'd be able to buy that brand new comic book. Finally, I had enough money! On my way to the store, I saw something else."

"What was it grandpa?"

"A brand new yoyo!"

"A yoyo, grandpa?"

"That's right shortman. It was the neatest thing I'd ever seen. I wouldn't have enough money for both that and the comic book though."

"So what'd you do?"

"Jimmy was waiting for me back at his place. When he heard me knocking, he raced to the door to answer. When he saw what was in my hand, his face dropped! I said 'Look at my new yoyo!' A growl released from him the way it does from my stomach after eating your grandma's raspberry cobbler. 'Where's the comic?' he asked. I told him I found something much better to spend the money on!"

"What'd he do grandpa?"

"Hehe...Jimmy slammed the door in my face. He was so mad, we didn't talk for weeks!"

"I don't get it. What's the point?"

"The point is, while it would have been nice to have someone to share that comic with, I knew the yoyo would make me happier. Sometimes all people need is themselves to be happy...that and a wad of bills to go along with it!"

"Thanks grandpa. I think I'll go find Gerald."

"Alrighty then shortman."

Just as Arnold was opening the front door, he saw his friend preparing to knock on it. "Oh hey Gerald. I was just about to go to your place."

Instead of receiving a response from his best friend, Arnold watched a somber expression remain on his face. "Is something wrong?"

 _Harold's House_

Harold was on the floor of his bedroom, enjoying the time spent with his new pet. While he may not have told his mom about it, that didn't stop the kitten from constantly meowing.

The husky boy was happily petting his kitten on the floor until he heard a knock on the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Harold!"

Clenching his fists at his sides in frustration, Harold whined "What?!"

"I heard that meowing. I do not want another disgusting animal in this house!" Marilyn warned him.

The now sensitive boy picked up the kitten to hold in his arms and pet as he said "Aww mom! Sundae needs me!"

"This one better not belong to anyone. If the police show up again…" Marilyn threatened before her son irritably interrupted her.

"Don't worry. I got him from the pet store, alright? Ahh!"

 _Nadine's House_

Nadine was in the front yard, watching how many insects had already been attracted to the flowers Mrs. Vitello suggested for her.

"Look at all the ladybugs! There's even some hummingbirds!" the nature girl said excitedly.

As she sat outside with her journal, considering everything she'd done to attract them, Nadine began writing her observations…

 _Based on what I've learned, ladybugs must be attracted to bright colors, considering all the yellow flowers I was given._

 _I've also never seen them appear in the winter, which must mean they favor warm weather. Of course, I didn't plant a garden until now._

 _I can only assume they're not poisonous, based on the way I was encouraged to buy flowers that would attract them._

 _My online research said there were 5000 different species. It would be so cool if I had the right flowers to attract them all. My parents would probably kill me if that happened though._

 _Walk_

Arnold was walking along with his best friend, hoping to comfort him in his time of need. "Don't worry Gerald, it's got to be around here somewhere."

"The last place I had it was in my room! I don't know where it could be man?" Gerald cried out hysterically.

Knowing his friend wasn't normally one to over-react, Arnold motioned for him to relax and said "Calm down Gerald. If it means…"

Before finishing his sentence, Arnold began to notice someone speaking nearby.

Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his friend, not knowing what had him so distracted. "What are you looking at man?"

"I just thought I heard something." Arnold said, as he began to round the corner of the street.

Gerald followed his friend to see Jamie O speaking with Bruce.

The boys shrugged their shoulders at one another, not knowing what they could be discussing.

 _Other Side of the Street_

"Yesterday was great bro!" Jamie O said to his long missed buddy.

Bruce smiled at his old pal and replied "Yeah. It really helped take my mind off some things."

"Sorry all the money's gone. That was all that was in Gerald's room haha…"

"WHAT?!"

The teens then turned to see an angry boy standing behind them with his hands on his hips.

"Oh hey little brother." Jamie O said, not caring if Gerald heard him or not.

While Gerald stood ready to go off on his older sibling, Bruce held his finger to his chin and said "You look familiar."

Arnold then filled in the blanks for everyone and said "We were at the park when our friend Sid hit you with the football. Then we ran into you again at the Roller Rink."

As the teen's memory was coming back to him, Jamie O added on "Yeah bro, this is my little brother, Gerald."

Bruce's eyes then lit up as he replied "Oh yeah! Wow you've really grown up."

No longer caring about his encounter with the angry teen, Gerald glared at his older brother and snapped "I can't believe you man! That was MY money! What were you thinking?!"

"Oh really? I didn't see your name on it." the fit boy taunted with his arms crossed.

"It was in MY room! Why can't you ever just leave my things alone? Why can't I just have one thing that's MINE? One thing I don't have to worry about anyone breaking or stealing? Man!" Gerald stormed off, no longer caring to spend the day with anyone.

Arnold stood speechless. It wasn't his place to yell at Jamie O, and he could see Gerald needed time to cool off. Still, he was the type of person who liked to fix a problem when he saw it.

After deciding there wasn't much he could do at the moment, the blonde boy began heading towards home as Bruce turned to Jamie O and said "I thought Gerald _gave_ you the money?"

Jamie O lifted an eyebrow at his best friend, thinking to himself _you're kidding right?_

"Why would you think that? You know how much we argue."

While Bruce sighed, knowing it was true, their conflict made him think of his father. Gerald not being able to rely on Jamie O related well to how Bruce felt about Vic. Vic was always stealing and couldn't be trusted.

 _Sheena's House_

The polite girl was in the kitchen reading her new book with a friend she had just invited over.

"Thank you just ever so much for having me Sheena! I'm looking oh so forward to this!" Lila said eagerly.

"It's lovely having you here. I've been hoping to have someone try these new recipes with me.

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Potato Salad

Warm Black-Eyed Pea Soup

"It sounds oh too delicious! I've been wanting to cook for quite some time now." the redheaded girl admitted.

Setting the book aside, Sheena couldn't help but ask "What have you chosen to do with your share of the money?"

Technically, it was Lila's day to make a decision. Yet, she held a finger to her lip, as if the thought had never occurred to her. "Gosh, I'm certain I'm not sure. There's nothing I've been hoping to get recently."

 _Arcade_

"Hot dang! I hit 'em again!"

Stinky placed in quarter after quarter into the Whack-A-Mole game, hoping to beat his high score. Just when he was about to, he heard an angry voice from behind…

"Man! I don't believe this!"

After turning to see what the commotion was, the country boy turned back to face the game, seeing he missed hitting the last mole. "Aww gee!"

Having decided that was enough for one day, Stinky went over to Runaway Bus Driver and said "Hey there Gerald. What's with you?"

"Nothing Stinky." the irritated boy sighed, hoping the game would take his mind off his problem.

"Well I reckon it must be something. On account of you don't look too happy."

The upset boy then turned to face his classmate and explained "Jamie O stole my share of the money and spent it all on himself! Man, why can't he just leave me alone?!"

After getting that off his chest, Gerald turned back to face the game. Stinky continued to stand nearby after listening to the story and said "Sounds like you got some real family problems. Just like my cousins Stinky and Stinky."

Gerald lifted an eyebrow, never having been told about all the Stinkys in the Peterson family. "Stinky and Stinky?"

"Yep. My family's full of Stinkys. Them cousins of mine were always messing with each other. One day Big Stinky broke Little Stinky's brand new glider plane. It was his favorite toy. Little Stinky was so mad, he decided to get even with Big Stinky by throwing his bike in the street when a car was coming. My uncle wasn't too happy. On account of he had to listen to the driver yell about the damage done to his car."

Gerald sat listening to the story, wondering if he should get even with Jamie O. Would it be worth the trouble, or would he end up regretting it in the end?

 _Walk_

Arnold was on his way home, wishing there was something he could do for Gerald when he bumped into someone...THUMP!

The blonde boy fell to the ground, holding the part of his head he hit until he heard

"ARNOLD!"

"Oh sorry Helga." he sighed, lending her a hand up.

The vexed girl then shook her head and snapped "I mean, watch where you're going football head!"

As she watched him continuing to stand there rubbing his head, guilt began to run through her. "Ptss...did I hit you that hard?"

Arnold looked up, realizing how zoned out he had become and said "Huh? Oh no, I was just thinking about something."

"Of course Mr. 'Can't keep my head out of the clouds.' So where's Geraldo? Shouldn't you two be spending your share of the money on comics and video games?" Helga sneered.

The troubled boy then let go of his head as he looked towards the ground and sighed "Actually, Gerald's brother stole his money."

Helga rolled her eyes at the explanation and leered "Oh brother. And you people wonder why I don't leave mine laying around."

"Yeah, well I better be going. See ya Helga."

The pigtailed girl stood watching her beloved walk away, wishing there was something she could do to cheer him up. While Gerald's dilemma didn't bother her, she never enjoyed seeing Arnold upset. Although she didn't want him knowing it, she did whatever she could to make his problems her problems. Her mind couldn't rest knowing his wasn't at ease.

 _Gerald's House_

Gerald walked inside with a somber expression, ready to head upstairs. On his way down the hall, he heard something in the other room…

"Check out my new weights bro!"

Bruce looked around at all the fitness merchandise his friend owned. Jamie O was no different than he was when they were kids.

"I guess you've been training a lot recently?"

"Heck yeah! I gotta stay in shape!" the fit teen said, as he stood from his seat.

Gerald was listening from the hallway when an idea struck him…

 _Ruining his equipment would be the perfect way to get back at him!_

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold laid on his bed, staring at the stars through the ceiling, thinking about how messed up the week had gotten. Maybe it would have been better if they never found the money.

The blonde boy then heard his phone begin to ring…

RING! RING!

"Hello?"

"Hey man."

Arnold smiled after hearing his friend's voice. It sounded as though he was in a better mood.

"Hey Gerald. What's up?"

"I just called to say I can't hang out tomorrow. If you want to spend your share of the money on something without me, that's cool."

"But Gerald…"

"I gotta go."

Arnold hung up the phone, feeling that was a bit strange. He understood if Gerald was still upset with Jamie O, but he sounded anxious to end the phone call. Was there something he was hiding from him?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: I Need To Borrow Something

Arnold woke up the next morning, not feeling right about the idea of spending his share of the money alone. Not to mention knowing Gerald no longer had his. He was tempted to give his share to Gerald and no longer worry about it.

 _Gerald's House_

"Morning son." Martin greeted Jamie O who stopped in the kitchen for a protein bar.

"Morning dad."

"That friend of yours coming over again?" Martin asked suspiciously. Although they hadn't spent any of his parent's money, it was only a matter of time before things changed.

"No. I'm going to go meet him at his place. Catch you later."

After watching his brother make his way out the door, Gerald raced across the hallway to Jamie O's room.

An evil grin appeared on his face, knowing all he had to do was find a way to get rid of it. Who would want it though? More importantly, how was he supposed to get it out of the house without his parents knowing?

 _Bruce's House_

"Thanks for having me bro! I brought us a couple of protein bars." Jamie O said, tossing one to his friend.

Bruce stared at the treat, having a lot on his mind. Jamie O then spoke up and asked "What's with you?"

Although he didn't want to sound like a baby, Bruce couldn't help but admit "I just feel bad we took your brother's money."

Jamie O rolled his eyes at the response and replied "I take his things all the time. Trust me, he'll get over it."

"That doesn't mean it's okay to do. That's why I'm so upset with my dad. All he does is steal from people, and lie about what he says he'll do. I can't trust him about anything."

Jamie O's face softened as he watched his friend stare at the floor. Silence took over the room, while he compared his friend's situation to his own. Was he too hard on Gerald? He may not be his father, but an older sibling is someone you should be able to look up to (or at least trust).

 _Gerald's House_

Gerald eagerly walked into the kitchen to find his parents at the table. "Hey sweetie, how are you?"

"Fine mom. Listen, Jamie O said Arnold and I could borrow his weights. I'm going to take them over there in a little while."

Martin lifted his head from his finances and asked "Borrow his weights? What for?"

"We're about to start training for the fitness test in P.E. I kind of need to practice." Gerald explained, as he began to slowly back out of the room.

"Hmmm...okay. But don't you break anything! I'm not paying for a new set." Martin warned his son.

"Relax dad. Everything's under control."

 _Phoebe's House_

With the group now being down to four people, Helga was at Phoebe's explaining Gerald's dilemma.

"Oh dear! Perhaps we should do something for him?" Phoebe offered.

Helga leaned against the bed with her legs stretched across the floor. Sighing at the remark, she said "If I know football head, he's going to give his money to Geraldo."

"Perhaps there's something we could all do together. That was the original plan after all. It wasn't Arnold's intention for the group to use the money for individual activities only they would enjoy." Phoebe explained.

 _Gerald's House_

Gerald opened the door to see the buyer of Jamie O's weight collection.

"Hey there coach! What's up?"

Coach Wittenburg waved at his former athlete and said "Hey Gerald, where's Arnie?"

The boy wasn't looking to stand around explaining things. There was no telling when Jamie O would be home. Plus, he didn't exactly tell his parents the coach would be the one moving the weights out. He just didn't want them to be shocked when they saw everything being moved down the stairs (and then an empty room upstairs).

"He's not here. Come on, let's go get everything." Gerald rushed him.

 _Walk_

Jamie O was on his way home, thinking about everything Bruce had said. Sure siblings fought a lot, but there had to be a limit somewhere. Yes they could get on each other's nerves, but there was no reason they couldn't _attempt_ to get along, as opposed to intentionally causing chaos.

 _Maybe I am too hard on Gerald. Even after all the mean things I've done to him, he hasn't tried to get back at me._

 _Gerald's House_

"Here you go kid. That's $328!" the coach handed Gerald the money after loading all the equipment into his vehicle.

"Thanks coach! Good to see you again."

"Hey, how'd you and Arnie like to be on my new soccer team? I could use a few more players."

Gerald began to back away with his money as he said "Uhh thanks but, I'm kind of busy the rest of the school year."

 _Walk_

After leaving her friend's house, Helga was heading towards home when she bumped heads with someone...THUMP!

Rather than falling to the ground, she held her head and shouted "Criminy! Why don't you people watch where you're going?!"

The angry girl then looked to see she had run into Gerald's older brother. As opposed to apologizing to her, Jamie O stared curiously and asked "Aren't you friends with Gerald?"

Helga rolled her eyes at the question and scoffed "Well Doi!"

Seeing he hadn't started to walk past her yet, Helga cocked her brow and asked "What are you staring at geek bait?"

Jamie O rubbed his chin and said "From what he's told me, you're always in a bad mood."

"Yeah. You wanna make something of it?" the vexed girl threatened, as she held a fist to his face.

Jamie O rolled his eyes at the younger kid's threat and said "No. You just remind me of myself."

Helga crossed her arms at the accusation and scoffed "Pttss...what's that supposed to mean?"

"You hang out with the class, but you're still mean to them. I'm Gerald's brother, but I can't seem to cut him a break."

Helga's face began to turn pink. Although the teen hadn't mentioned Arnold, anyone digging deeper into her qualities put her in a vulnerable state.

After feeling her face change colors, Helga shook her head and said "Yeah, I heard about unapproved _loan_ you made. Oh brother."

The teen began to rub his neck. Although it was just a friend of Gerald's he was speaking to, he still felt he had set a bad example. "Yeah. I'd like to pay him back. That won't be happening anytime soon though."

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold was at his computer, contemplating what to do. He didn't mind the idea of giving Gerald his money. Even if he did though, Gerald made it sound as though he was too busy to bother with it that day.

The blonde boy sat at his computer until he heard someone at his door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in."

Arnold turned to see his best friend entering with a smile on his face. "Oh hey Gerald."

"Hey Arnold! Ready for some fun man?"

Arnold got up from his seat, wondering what had gotten Gerald into such a good mood. "Sure. Guess you and your brother made up then."

The now placid boy glared at his friend and said "More like got even with him."

A concerned look grew on the blonde boy's face as he asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

Arnold's eyes then grew when he saw Gerald pull out the money from his pocket.

"Where'd you get that?"

 _Gerald's House_

Jamie O walked inside with a smile on his face, anxious to see his younger brother (for the first time ever). Although he wasn't one to get along with Gerald, it felt good to do the right thing.

He headed down the hallway towards his younger sibling's room, ready to make up with him. "Hey little brother. Look what I've...Gerald?"

After seeing the room was empty, the teenager assumed his brother must be hanging out with Arnold. There was nothing to do but hang out until Gerald returned.

Jamie O stuck the redeemed cash in his pocket and headed towards his weight room.

 _Downstairs_

"Look at this electric bill! I told Gerald he could only play two C.D's a day. Did he not listen to a word I said? And look at the phone bill! Did….AHHHH!"

Before Martin could finish venting to Mrs. Johanson, the two heard screaming upstairs.

They began heading towards the weight room where they found their oldest son on the floor crying.

"What's going on in here?!" Martin demanded to know.

Mrs. Johanson bent down to pat her son on the back as she listened to him ask "What happened to all my stuff?"

The penny pincher lifted an eyebrow with his hands on his waist and said "What do you mean what happened to it? Gerald said you let him borrow it."

"What?" the overwhelmed teen asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Don't look at me. I don't know how you kids work these days. As long as you're not wasting money, I don't need to get involved."

Martin left the room to finish the bills as Mrs. Johanson said to her oldest son "I'm sure they're fine sweetie. He probably thought you wouldn't mind if he just borrowed them. We'll get them back later."

 _Arnold's Room_

After hearing his friend's story, Arnold stood from the couch and said "You sold your brother's weights?! Gerald, what were you thinking?"

Pointing towards himself, the guiltless boy replied "Hey, I had every right to do it man. After everything he's done to me, I'd say he owes me more money than this. I wouldn't be surprised if that $3,937 was just a sign of how much he's taken from me."

"I don't know Gerald. Even if he has treated you badly, that doesn't mean you need to get even with him. Look at Helga."

Lifting an eyebrow at the upcoming comparison, Gerald asked "What about her?"

"She treats me badly, but I don't retaliate."

"Yeah, you really need to work on that man."

"No, because I know she's a good person. Your brother is too, and if you keep overlooking the bad things he does, eventually he's bound to see the mistakes he's made."

Gerald sighed at the money in his hand, knowing how right his friend always was when it came to solving moral dilemmas (or any problem for that matter).

"Alright man thanks."

 _Coach Wittenburg's_

"Oh please. You expect me to believe you're going to use this stuff every day, Jack?"

The competitive man glared at his un-supportive wife and said "Darn right Tish! And I'm going to coach the best soccer team this town's ever seen!"

Tish rolled her eyes and began to leave the room. "In your dreams."

"I'll show her! I'll…" Jack muttered to himself until he heard someone at the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The competitive man went to answer the door, where he saw his former athlete once again.

"Oh hey Gerald." the coach waved to his friend.

"Hey coach. Listen, I was wondering if I could buy back that merchandise from you?"

"Buy it back?!"

"Yeah. You see, I kind of took it from my brother without asking." Gerald rubbed his shoulder, embarrassed to admit it.

Tish walked towards the front door after not being able to help overhear the conversation. "Jack, give something back? Why not just ask him to voluntarily lose. Oh wait, you don't have to. He'll lose without even trying."

"Oh yeah! I'll show you Tish! I'll give it all back right now, and won't even charge him for it! Come on kid, grab what you want!" the insulted man motioned for Gerald to join him inside.

 _Gerald's House_

Gerald opened the door for the coach as they brought the weights back one by one. The eager boy walked upstairs with a smile on his face, happy to know he had done the right thing. Arnold always made people feel better about themselves, whether or not it was something they actually wanted to do.

"Thanks again coach. You can have the money back for the trouble I caused you. Take that wife of yours out to dinner. Show her you still remember a _sensitive_ thing or two from that sympathetic swim team you coached."

"Thanks Gerri!"

Gerald watched his friend walk downstairs and out the door with the money, while he stood at the top thinking to himself _Gerri? Mm, mm, mmm._

After shaking his head, the tranquil boy headed for his room, happy to have things back to normal...or so he thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: I thought it over

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold was poking at his pancakes in the kitchen, not feeling so hungry. Phil pushed his eagerly eaten plate aside and asked "Hey, what's eatin' ya shortman?"

"Nothing grandpa."

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

The troubled boy pushed his plate aside and stared at his folded arms on the table. "It's just that Gerald's older brother stole his money from him."

"Hmm...that's a shame."

"Then Gerald decided to get back at him by selling his brother's weights."

Phil's eyes lit up at the thought and laughed "Ooohhh he's a sneaky thing!"

"Grandpa…"

The elderly man chuckled at his remark and replied "Hehe...sorry shortman. Keep going."

"Anyway, after he showed me the money, I told him that wasn't the right thing to do."

Not surprised by his grandson's need to do the right thing, Phil said excitedly "Of course you did! You're Mr. Goody Two Shoes! Town relies on your good conscience."

"I guess. I think I'll go see him. Hopefully he's not still busy."

After putting his plate in the sink, Arnold headed for the door. The line of pets raced past him as always. Once they made their way down the street, Arnold began walking down the porch steps when he saw someone approaching him.

"Hey Arnold!"

"Oh hey Gerald." the blonde boy said. There he stood, watching his best friend skating towards him in the blades he had wanted all year.

The blades he hoped selling hundreds of crates worth of Wacko Watches would be able to buy him.

Arnold looked down at his friend's new merchandise and could only assume Gerald went back on his plan to return the money to Coach Wittenburg. "Gerald, I thought you were going to get your brother's things back?"

The excited boy continued to skate towards his suspicious friend as he assured him "I did man!"

A perplexed look appeared on the young boy's face, as he asked "How'd you afford the skates then?"

 _Flashback_

 _Previous Night_

 _Gerald's Room_

The tranquil boy walked into his bedroom to see a pair of brand new skates waiting for him on his bed. Gerald rubbed his eyes, feeling they must be deceiving him.

He then heard a voice from behind that said "Good to see you little brother."

Gerald turned to see Jame O standing behind him and said in a shocking tone "Jamie O? Did you get those for me?!"

The sorry teen began to rub his neck as he explained "Yeah. After I saw you took my weights, I thought about destroying something of yours. Then I realized, you had every right to do it. So, I'm going to try to be a little nicer to you. I'm not promising anything though."

"Thanks man. I got your stuff back."

Jamie O glared at his younger sibling for the stunt he pulled and pointed a finger "It better be just like it was last time I saw it."

As he watched his brother head down the hall, Gerald couldn't help but ask "Hey wait! Where'd you get the money for these anyway? I thought you spent it all?"

Jamie O smiled at the memory of his talk with Helga and explained "Let's just say that blonde girl you're always complaining about isn't as bad as you make her out to be."

 _End of Flashback_

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold's signature smile formed on his face after hearing the story. "Guess everything worked out the way you wanted it to."

"Yeah. I'm going to go try them out. Later man!"

"See ya Gerald."

It was too nice a day to go back inside. Arnold assumed if he walked around town, surely he'd find something worth spending the money on.

As he was rounding the corner of the street, he bumped heads with somebody...THUMP!

"ARNOLD!"

The blonde boy looked to see his classmate on the ground in front of him with her hands still held over her heart. It didn't matter how many times they ran into each other. The sight (or even the thought) of him would always be enough to make her heart flutter (no matter how painful the experience).

"Sorry Helga." he apologized, while lending her a hand up.

"I mean, watch where you're going football head! Quit crashing into me!" she scowled with her hands in her hips.

Arnold smiled at what he knew had to be an act she was always putting on. "So, I'm guessing your money's gone?"

Helga cocked her brow at the assumption and asked "What the heck are you talking about?"

"It's the end of the week. Surely you've used it on something." Arnold shrugged his shoulders, with a slight grin on his face, hoping to make her confess.

The nervous girl's eyes widened, knowing he was suspicious about something. After sensing the loose grip forming on her tough act, Helga shook her head and snapped "Hey, just because our idiot classmates can't keep up with their spare change doesn't mean I can't handle mine maturely."

Not fooled by her attempt to play it cool, the sweet boy smiled in an enticing way as he said "I think you handle it very maturely."

Helga crossed her arms at what she felt was becoming a game played between the two of them. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Knowing she was as stubborn as she was giving, he decided to confess _for_ her. "I heard you gave your money to Jamie O."

Helga began tugging at her collar, feeling vulnerable once again. Just because she liked doing the right thing didn't mean she liked everyone else knowing that about her.

"Hey, I was in a good mood, alright?"

Arnold sighed a familiar sigh. The one he released every time Helga was too obstinate to confess the truth.

Acting politely during her last performance as the It Girl

Participating in the Romeo and Juliet Play.

The night she and Phoebe were on his fire escape.

"Whatever you say Helga. I've still got all my money if you'd like to see a movie with me?"

Helga swooned at the offer. They weren't even together, and Arnold was willing to hang out, just the two of them.

After shaking her head, the nervous girl said "Sure...I mean, whatever floats your boat football head."

The two began their walk towards the theater until Arnold noticed how quiet things were between them. Their time spent alone reminded him of when they were at the mall a few days ago, discussing something at the table together.

"Hey Helga?"

"Yeah?"

"Was Phoebe really sick the week the class thought I stole the money?"

While him becoming suspicious of her personal life was nerverecking, his inability to mind his own business was just as annoying. "Oh brother. Would you get your head out of everyone's business and back in the clouds where it belongs? Sheesh."

Whether or not that was true about him, it didn't explain how the lady found him. That is, unless she was even noseyer than he was, and was willing to ask around at every school in the city.

"Well, when that eccentric lady brought me back my bus pass, she didn't explain how she found me. The school's information wasn't written on it. I don't know anyone who already knew her?"

The more he pushed for the information, the more giving in didn't seem like such a big deal, if it meant having the burden of playing 20 questions over and done with.

"Alright fine! It was me! I found the freak and told her where you were. She's no better at keeping her eyes on the road than you are hairboy."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Phoebe's House_

The intelligent girl was sitting at the dining room table with her parents, discussing the plans for her money.

"Phoebe dearest, what have you chosen to do with the money you were given?" Kyo was curious to know.

"You and your father could use it to buy new fencing merchandise. We could invite all our friends over to see you!" Reba suggested.

A warm smile formed on the sweet girl's face as she informed her parents. "I've made the decision to open a savings account. It would be a substantial contribution made towards the weeks worth of allowance money I currently have saved up."

Kyo held up his glass, once again impressed by his daughter's wise decision making skills. "Let us toast to such a wise decision!"

"Bottoms up!" Reba acknowledged her husband, just as Phoebe noticed a knock at the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

 _Outside_

Phoebe opened the door to see her favorite boy waiting outside for her. The sweet girl smiled at her friend and said "Hello Gerald. How are you today?"

"Hey babe. Today was supposed to be your day to pick something fun to do." the cool boy reminded her.

Phoebe stepped outside to explain to her friend "I've actually chosen to save mine in order to prepare for future financial dilemmas."

Not surprised by her decision, Gerald replied "That's cool babe."

"I suppose I could use a bit of it for amusing events every so often however."

A warm smile appeared on the happy boy's face as he asked "Want to get some ice cream? I can go change out of these blades and meet you at Slausens."

Phoebe eagerly nodded her head, just as happy to spend some personal time with Gerald as Helga was with Arnold. "That would be delightful!"

"See ya there."

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW**_

 **I don't think this story turned out much better than the first part. Gerald seemed more like a cry baby than cool, and I just sucked at writing Jamie O. Maybe the episode just wasn't meant to be. Anyway, thanks for reading.**

 **BTW I know Helga's dress doesn't have pockets in it. I was just trying to make the story work. Another reason it sucked lol.**


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